The Diagnostic & Maintenance Kit by Optimum Power Technology is a very powerful tool for Cannondale Motorcycle and ATV owners. It brings power, flexibility, and precise tuning to the average off-road rider where only the Formula racing teams could enjoy these powerful options before. In this review I’d like to go into some detail of what the Diagnostic & Maintenance Kit (DM kit) can do for a Cannondale owner and how it should be in every owner’s toolbox right next to the tire gauge.

Some background before we start. The main components on a Cannondale off-road vehicle that separate it from the rest of the world are that is has fuel injectors, fuel pump for constant fuel pressure, throttle body controlled by the rider’s throttle control, an airbox with an air pressure sensor and temperature sensor, a Sagem/Johnson Controls MC1000 electronic control unit (ECU), and most importantly, software by Optimum Power Technology in the ECU to make all this stuff work together and provide Optimum performance. Pun intended!

The ECU is the heart of the bike. It’s just like a desktop computer but built much tougher and is much smaller. It comes with its own bios or firmware to operate. Optimum created an Operating code for the ECU just like a desktops operating system i.e. DOS, Windows, Linux etc… and gives the ECU a kind of personality. With that OS or “Hex code” as some call it, the ECU now has a platform to communicate from and load software from like engine maps.

Optimum has many packages available to communicate with the ECU. They have the DM Kit which is the entry level package. They have the Map select kit which allows for selecting maps while riding. They have the DealerCal program for dealers, which is a more advanced DM Kit. And Optimum’s most powerful tool is called ProCal which does everything the DM kit does plus allows creating custom engine maps. Check Optimum's website or drop them an email for further details on all their Kits.

So let’s get back to the DM kit. The DM Kit is Optimum’s entry level GP Control software package. In the DM kit I received, there was a user’s manual, serial type cable, GP Control software and authorization keys needed to authorize the GP Control software. I received the Windows based Laptop version but they also have a Compaq IPAQ version as well.

When I received the DM Kit the first thing I did was read the user manual from cover to cover. It’s a pretty small manual but laid out the basic uses of the DM kit very nicely. I would have liked more theory of how this stuff all works, software, fuel injection etc… but the manual keeps things simple and that’s a good thing. Also not all is lost if you need further information. Optimum-Power is just a phone call away and they have awesome customer service. I think they like for people to call just so they can chat with you.

From reading the manual, here is a list of things I found that you can monitor real time with the DM Kit:
• RPM
• Throttle Position %
• Battery Voltage
• Airbox Temperature
• Engine Temperature
• IACV Stepper Position (Automatic Choke)
• ECU Faults (Not real time but a mouse click away)

Now here is a list of things you can change on a Cannondale with this kit:
• Throttle Position Minimum
• Throttle Position Maximum
• Throttle Body Leakage
• Fuel Injector Flow (milligrams/second)
• Fuel Injector Offset

Also
• Calibrate Throttle
• Change Engine Calibration Files (Also known as an Engine Map or Power Curve.)

NOTE: Thanks to Optimum for continually making things better, as of this writing, all releases of the DM kit, old and new, will also allow for ECU Operating code or “HEX Code” changes. This allows you to reset your ECU if any trouble arises when communicating with your ECU. Now, no more worries if your cable gets knocked off or you lose power while uploading a file. If you have an older DM kit, just email Optimum for the update. It’s that easy.

I wrote down my ECU serial number off my bike and took one of the software keys that came with the DM kit and called Optimum to get the software authorized. The GP Control software is limited to only one ECU or one bike unless you buy optional licenses at a reduced price. No need to buy a separate kit for each bike you own. I called Optimum, talked with Patricia who was fun to chat with, and within minutes she sent my authorization number via email. I whipped my laptop out, loaded the GP Control Software and within a minute I had the software authorized to my ECU. Piece of cake!

NOTE: The GP Control User manual goes over step by step how to perform things so I won’t go into details of how to do everything. However, there are some important things to note and I will mention a few of those and give the basics of how things are done.

After I was authorized, I took my laptop out in the garage, pulled the seat off my Cannondale E440 and connected the special serial cable to the ECU connector near my air filter. Some models have the connector moved to the back of the bike for an even easier connection. One of these days I’ll move my connection back there. I then hooked the other end of the serial cable up to the laptop’s serial port and ran the GP Control Software.

In order to talk to the bike’s ECU with the GP Control all you do is tap the start button quickly but don’t start the bike. This wakes up the ECU for a few minutes. You can verify the ECU is on by looking at the LED on the serial cable. If the light is on, the ECU is on.

Once the ECU is going the first thing you want to do is receive your bike’s specific Injector Cals. Each Cannondale has slightly different Injector Cal numbers so it’s a good idea to get these numbers, write them down and keep them in a safe place for future reference.

GETTING YOUR BIKES INJECTOR CALS
Again refer to the manual for the exact steps. To get your Injector Cals all you do is make sure the ECU is on, then hit the “RECEIVE Calibrations Button” on the GP Control Software. Check the box “Select to Receive only Throttle and Injector Calibrations” then write down what the values are. If you ever adjust your parameters and want to get back to your original numbers you will have them handy if you need them.

CHECK YOUR BIKES OPERATING PARAMETERS
Checking your rpms, engine temperature, throttle position, etc… couldn’t be easier. Tap the starter to start the ECU. With the GP Control Software, just click the button labeled “MONITOR ECU parameters” and it brings up a new window on the screen with all the parameters together. To see some action with these parameters, start your bike and you will see these parameters are measured and displayed in real time and this makes for a great troubleshooting tool.

LOADING NEW ENGINE MAPS
Cannondale and Optimum call them Engine Calibration files. These little guys are the key to endless fun. These tiny files are what tell the ECU how to make the engine perform at a given rpm. An engine map contains basic parameters specific to your bikes calibrations but also contains two 17x17 grids based on the bikes throttle position and rpm. One 17x17 grid contains the fuel mixture mapping and the other 17x17 grid contains the ignition mapping. This allows for hundreds of custom map possibilities for every riding condition and situation.

The Authorized files at Cannondale are a great example of what different maps are like. The E440 map is a very smooth linear feeling map for tight woods. If you come out of a corner in the woods you won’t gas it and launch straight into a tree. Plus it’s smooth for when things are wet and muddy so you don’t break traction. The C440 map is just like the E440 map except the timing is changed on the bottom end for a little more power in the low to mid rpm range. The main object of this map is for high speed GNCC type racing but the map is still smooth so the rider doesn’t get tired after racing for many hours. The X440 map has a mellow bottom end for quick holeshots without losing traction but then builds quickly at 4000 rpms to give a ton of power to the mid rpms all the way to the upper end of the rpm range.

To load a new engine map into your bike using the DM Kit make sure you follow the instructions in the user manual. But basically loading maps into a bike is very simple and only takes a few minutes. All you do is go to Optimum or Cannondale’s website to get Authorized engine maps and save it on a disk or your hard drive.

Next you take the file you just saved and open it up with the GP Control software. Before you send the file to the bike you need to receive your Injector Cals from the bike. What this does is takes your bikes specific parameters and plugs them into the generic Engine Calibration file you want to use. When you get the Injector Cals from the bike now your ready to send the map patched with your bike’s specific parameters to the ECU. All you do is press the “SEND Calibration File (to ECU)” button. It takes maybe two minutes to send the file and you’re done. That is it!

With numerous maps out there the DM Kit is a dream for changing your bike’s power curve. No jets to change and no guess work involved. It’s basically plug and play just like professional racing teams have. It’s about time technology caught up with our sport and Optimum-Power Technology deserves huge Kudos for making this virtual jetting technology available to the average person and it’s easy and fun to use. Just plain awesome technology.

As I said in the beginning of this review, Optimum’s GP Control Diagnostic and Maintenance Kit is a very powerful tool. It not only helps you to change the characteristic of your power band but it allows you to monitor and adjust many things on a Cannondale quad and dirtbike that you can’t do any other way. The DM kit is a must have tool and I highly recommend it to every Cannondale owner. It’s powerful, easy to use, helps with troubleshooting, and takes the mystery out of what is going on with your fuel injection system. To sum it up, don’t walk, but run to get your DM kit today and take full advantage of your bikes potential! To get your DM Kit or learn more about it visit Optimum-Power Technology today.

Jim Schneringer aka "jschner"
Cannondaler.Com

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